Editing Red Ruffing (section)

====Career summary====
Ruffing threw a [[fastball]], a "sharp" [[curveball]], and a [[Slider (baseball)|slider]].<ref name=james>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7FfRLE6I5EEC&q=red+ruffing&pg=PA367|title=The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers: An Historical Compendium of Pitching, Pitchers, and Pitches|first1=Bill|last1=James|author-link1=Bill James|first2=Rob|last2=Neyer|author-link2=Rob Neyer|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|year=2008|page=367|isbn=978-1439103777|access-date=September 7, 2013}}</ref> According to AL [[umpire]] [[Bill Summers (umpire)|Bill Summers]], "[O]n account of Red Ruffing, the slider got to be the thing."<ref name=sabr/> [[Joe Paparella]], also an AL umpire, said "The first game I ever worked behind the plate in the major leagues was against the guy who invented the slider and had the best slider ever seen&nbsp;— Red Ruffing".<ref name=james/>

Ruffing finished his career with 273 wins, 225 losses, 1,987 strikeouts and a 3.80 ERA.<ref name=reminisces/> He also had 16 [[save (baseball)|saves]].<ref name=james/> Ruffing compiled 335 complete games in his 536 games started.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wu1cJHb4yo0C&q=red+ruffing&pg=PA89|title=Beating the Breaks: Major League Ballplayers who Overcame Disabilities|first=Rick|last=Swaine|page=94|publisher=McFarland & Company|year=2004|isbn=0786481951|access-date=January 2, 2014|archive-date=November 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107225019/https://books.google.com/books?id=wu1cJHb4yo0C&q=red+ruffing&pg=PA89|url-status=live}}</ref>

A combination of his extensive career workload, the offense-heavy era he pitched in, poor early ERAs prior to a mid-career change in his delivery, and the fact he pitched his entire 22-year career in a single league, Ruffing holds the AL record for most runs and earned runs allowed.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/play-index/season_finder.cgi?type=p#gotresults&as=result_pitcher&offset=0&sum=1&min_year_season=1901&max_year_season=2011&min_season=1&max_season=-1&min_age=0&max_age=99&lg_ID=lgAL&lgAL_team=tmAny&lgNL_team=tmAny&lgFL_team=tmAny&lgAA_team=tmAny&lgPL_team=tmAny&lgUA_team=tmAny&lgNA_team=tmAny&isActive=either&isHOF=either&isAllstar=either&throws=any&role=anyrole&games_started=60&games_relieved=80&qualifiersSeason=nomin&minIpValS=162&minDecValS=14&mingamesValS=40&qualifiersCareer=nomin&minIpValC=1000&minDecValC=100&mingamesValC=200&orderby=ER&order_by_asc=1&layout=full&c1criteria=ER&c1gtlt=gt&c1val=1500&c2criteria=&c2gtlt=eq&c2val=0&c3criteria=&c3gtlt=eq&c3val=0&c4criteria=&c4gtlt=eq&c4val=0&c5criteria=&c5gtlt=eq&c5val=1.0&c6criteria=&location=pob&locationMatch=is&pob=&pod=&pcanada=&pusa=&ajax=1&submitter=1&z=1 |title=Spanning Multiple Seasons or entire Careers, Playing in the AL, From 1901 to 2011, sorted by smallest Earned Runs |work=Baseball-Reference.com |year=2012 |access-date=August 7, 2012 |archive-date=October 27, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131027163916/http://www.baseball-reference.com/play-index/season_finder.cgi?type=p#gotresults&as=result_pitcher&offset=0&sum=1&min_year_season=1901&max_year_season=2011&min_season=1&max_season=-1&min_age=0&max_age=99&lg_ID=lgAL&lgAL_team=tmAny&lgNL_team=tmAny&lgFL_team=tmAny&lgAA_team=tmAny&lgPL_team=tmAny&lgUA_team=tmAny&lgNA_team=tmAny&isActive=either&isHOF=either&isAllstar=either&throws=any&role=anyrole&games_started=60&games_relieved=80&qualifiersSeason=nomin&minIpValS=162&minDecValS=14&mingamesValS=40&qualifiersCareer=nomin&minIpValC=1000&minDecValC=100&mingamesValC=200&orderby=ER&order_by_asc=1&layout=full&c1criteria=ER&c1gtlt=gt&c1val=1500&c2criteria=&c2gtlt=eq&c2val=0&c3criteria=&c3gtlt=eq&c3val=0&c4criteria=&c4gtlt=eq&c4val=0&c5criteria=&c5gtlt=eq&c5val=1.0&c6criteria=&location=pob&locationMatch=is&pob=&pod=&pcanada=&pusa=&ajax=1&submitter=1&z=1 |url-status=live }}</ref>  This belies the fact that he finished in the Top 10 in the AL in ERA for eight consecutive years after mastering his new delivery, finishing 2nd twice and 3rd and 4th once each between 1932 and 1940.  This two second-place finishes were to Hall of Famer [[Lefty Grove]], who dominated the 1930s with seven league leads during the decade en route to his all-time AL record of nine.  So high were ERAs during the 1932-1940 span that three times Grove was the only pitcher to better a 3.00 ERA, and once, in 1938, no AL pitcher did, Grove leading the league a 3.08.<ref>https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1938-pitching-leaders.shtml {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308130445/https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1938-pitching-leaders.shtml |date=March 8, 2021 }} 1938 AL Pitching Leaders, baseball-reference.com</ref>

Ruffing was an excellent hitter for a pitcher, good enough to frequently be called on to [[pinch hitter|pinch hit]]<ref name=reminisces/> and even play the outfield in emergency situations.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kieran |first=John |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1931/04/28/archives/sports-of-the-times-more-merrymaking-on-the-diamond.html |title=Sports of the Times&nbsp;– More Merrymaking on the Diamond |newspaper=The New York Times |date=April 28, 1931 |access-date=September 7, 2013 |archive-date=July 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722190210/https://www.nytimes.com/1931/04/28/archives/sports-of-the-times-more-merrymaking-on-the-diamond.html |url-status=live }}</ref> His 36 [[home run]]s as a pitcher are fourth behind Ferrell, [[Warren Spahn]], and [[Bob Lemon]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/31/sports/baseball/31vecsey.html|title=Sports of the Times: Phillies Pitchers of Old Revel in Past and Present|first=George|last=Vecsey|newspaper=The New York Times|date=January 30, 2009|access-date=October 3, 2013|archive-date=April 17, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090417023949/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/31/sports/baseball/31vecsey.html|url-status=live}}</ref> He hit over .300 in eight different seasons,  batting .269 overall with 521 hits in 1,937 career at-bats.